Bamboo Shoots - A Growing Food Source In The West?

Bamboo; it's very decorative, can be walked on and sat on, makes a lovely outfit

including matching accessories; is used as a window blind in fact, for just about

anything you can imagine. So how does it shape up as a food source?

Well, in countries such as Thailand, China, Taiwan and other parts of South East

Asia, bamboo shoots have been part of their staple diet for centuries. What about

western society? Even though local consumption accounts for most of the Asian

production, bamboo shoots are being exported to other parts of the world. Either

sold fresh, processed, dried, peeled or canned, bamboo shoots are being consumed

just about everywhere.

In many Asian countries, bamboo is a common vegetable used daily in meals; in the

west, particularly western European countries, bamboo shoots are considered a

gourmet item generally only available via import. This scenario could change

rapidly though as countries like Italy and France start to host some bamboo

growing areas.

Bamboo shoots are easy to prepare. Described as a "food for all seasons" because

of it's adaptable growing nature;it can adjust in either dry or wet, waterlogged

conditions. Some are tagging it as the food for the new millennium; there has been

evidence to support it's benefits for heart patients given it's low fat content

and high fiber nature.

In Australia, bamboo consumption has increased rapidly during the last decade.

This has been as a result of an increase in both Asian visitors and residents

during the last 15 years. Australia's importation of bamboo has also increased as

a result of this.

Will bamboo graduate from gourmet status to a regular part of daily western food

consumption? Unless large areas are dedicated to growing bamboo forests this is

more than probably not likely. However, in countries like Australia, bamboo

growing has been on the agenda as a potential industry. A report commissioned in

1998 by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation suggested

"growing bamboo for food and timber could be a productive new industry in

Australia."

One thing is for certain, bamboo shoots are definitely enjoyed as food source in

western culture.